From Darkness to Light

Gen 3:4,5,6 And the serpent said unto the woman…in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil… when the woman saw that the tree… was good to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat…

So Eve listened to Satan, thought about what he said, analyzed the information and made a decision. Just like Saul, who analyzed his information, let fear rule and made the wrong decision. But not like David, who put his trust in God first and didn’t lean to his own understanding, and made the right decision.

Does this mean we shouldn’t try to analyze things? Plan things? Try to do the things that make sense? We have no responsibility? We are not accountable for our actions? Well, yeah, kind of. More about that in a minute. Let’s look at what happened with Adam and Eve after they made this terrible choice:

Ge 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened…Ge 3:9 ¶ And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?…10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

Before they made this choice, God provided for them everything they needed. God controlled everything and they wanted for nothing. Think about it: perfect temperature, perfect climate, all the food they needed, no death, no anger, and… no fear. But notice the change? As soon as they had that knowledge they had fear. Fear of what? Fear of God. In fact, today in our lives fear is a direct consequence of knowledge. Remember the saying "ignorance is bliss"? Is it true? Have you heard about anyone who reads about a disease (knowledge) and then decides they have the very same symptoms? An older person who hears (knowledge) about people losing all their money and then refuses to spend any of theirs? A young child who sees (knowledge) the witch on the Wizard of Oz and then refuses to go to bed alone? How many times have you worried about something only to find that there was no basis in fact for it and your worry was in vain? Most of the time. Honest.

So let’s go back to David and Saul. Saul was a wise and mighty man who knew too much. He had too much knowledge. He thought he understood. This is what the Bible tells us:

1Sa 17:11 When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine [Goliath], they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.

Okay, so Saul, this mighty warrior who stands a foot taller than all his men, who has defeated countless other men is petrified. Why? Because he knows:

1) Goliath is bigger than he is
2) Goliath is stronger than he is
3) Goliath has bigger weapons than he does
4) Goliath has bigger armor than he does

Because he knows. End of story. Or is it? Maybe it’s because he doesn’t know. Doesn’t know if he can beat Goliath. But isn’t it the same? It’s the need to know. And that knowledge strikes fear into the heart of the mighty warrior Saul. Knowledge breeds fear. So why not David? Good question. Let’s take a look.

David is somewhat of a fighter himself, having fought lions and bears who tried to take his sheep. But somehow I’m thinking that was different than Goliath. So what gives him his confidence or lack of fear? Here’s how he answered Saul:

1 Sa 17:37 David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.

What? Is he crazy? Put your trust in the Lord? Does he not understand all the things that Saul understands? Can he not see how big Goliath is? How puny his own sling is? How big Goliath’s sword is? No, he simply chooses to first trust in the Lord.

Let’s go back to that earlier question:

"Does this mean we shouldn’t try to analyze things? Plan things? Try to do the things that make sense? We have no responsibility? We are not accountable for our actions?" Well…

Take David as the example. He didn’t overanalyze, overplan or try to do anything that didn’t make sense to him. In his spirit, trusting fully and completely in God. He wasn’t running on emotion, trying to fulfill a dream, trying to prove something or even rushing in without considering the consequences. He trusted in God. And the Spirit led him. And once he made this decision and walked forward he didn’t listen to the devil tell him how big Goliath was or any other silly thing, he continued to trust. If he was doing this to prove something to his dad, impress his brothers, win favor from Saul or any other issue dealing with pride the outcome would have been totally different. He still might have won (I doubt it) but his life would not have been the same. It was only through his pure motive that things turned out the way they did. You see, what the world tells us is irresponsible and would condemn, God says is trusting in Him. Matthew Henry, the great Bible commentator, says it like this:

"Though men may condemn the indiscretion, yet God will accept the pious zeal, of those who in real works of piety and charity do rather beyond their power. "

Beyond their power. Interesting. This is what appears to be God’s motive in using the foolish and weak things. It’s only when we get beyond our power that God can get the glory. Otherwise, we try to take it for ourselves.

Consider these verses:

Jg 7:2 The LORD said to Gideon, "You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her…

2Co 4:7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

I believe this is also one of the reasons we hear about children in the Bible. Consider the following:

Isa 11:6 …and a little child shall lead them.

Mat 18:3 And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 19:14 Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

What are these references to little children? Quite simply, little children trust without fear. Friday morning in the truck Hector had his one year old daughter in his arms as she lay sleeping. He looked down at her and then said to me that this is how God wants us to be. Totally trusting in Him to the exclusion of all else. So totally at peace with no fear, to the point of complete relaxation without the need for understanding. Hector’s daughter did not understand where we were going or how we would get there. She wasn’t concerned about my driving or whether there would be a McDonald’s when we arrived. She wasn’t thinking about the decisions she made yesterday and whether maybe one of them was wrong. And she certainly wasn’t worrying about whether she could get a good meal tomorrow. She was just in the now, so peaceful that she could sleep in her daddy’s arms without reservation. That is a picture of what God wants from us.

But I can already hear the protests. "You mean we are supposed to be like that baby and sit and do nothing, trusting in God?" Yes. When it comes to items of knowledge. Knowledge which breeds fear. Fear which breeds the need for control. Trust in the Lord. David didn’t trust in the Lord and go sit in the sheep yard waiting for God to do his work. David still did his part. He acted, though with wholesale abandonment of the fear that would be manifested through the knowledge of what might happen if God couldn’t be trusted. That is what was missing in David’s decision. That’s what was found in Saul’s decision. An absolute belief that he was going to die which translates into an absolute belief that God could not be trusted to deliver him. And since God could not be trusted, Saul had to take control. With David, since God could be trusted David had no fear. Like Hector’s baby. Paul writes it like this:

1Co 14:20 Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.

Fear is a sin and sin is evil. Paul says in regards to evil (fear) be infants. Be like Hector’s baby girl. But he goes on to say act like adults in your thinking. This was exactly the picture of David. His thinking was that of an adult with the appropriate actions, yet he didn’t let his mind recognize the fear. He trusted in the Lord totally; unlike Saul, he didn’t try to figure it out. First he trusted the Lord (just like Hector’s baby), then he took action as an adult led by the Spirit. And he never questioned or tried to understand beyond that. Could it really be that simple? I don’t know, what do you think this verse means:

Mt 11:25 At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.

Time for us to stop being so wise and learned and be like little children. Wah!

Pr 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

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